Where is Little Johnny now?

An examination of Masonic charity

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New Life

John and Mary were so happy on that beautiful spring morning. The small peach and nectarine trees that had been planted during a particularly harsh winter were beginning to blossom, signaling that this would be the year of their "first fruits". The mulberry tree in the backyard was showing signs of new life. There was an emergence of small buds that would soon become beautiful, dark-green leaves, spreading like a large canopy over the picnic table that sat beneath the tree. John and Mary had often sat at that table, making plans for the future, especially after hearing the good news from their family doctor last September. "Mr. Smith, the queasiness your wife has been experiencing in the mornings is quite natural, because, you see, your wife is carrying a new life inside her. The family you have dreamed of is about to become a reality. Mrs. Smith is going to deliver your first-born in about 7 ½ months. Congratulations."

So, on that beautiful spring morning, signs of new life were everywhere, and now, Mary was feeling the first pangs that told them it was time to call Dr. Jones and tell him they were on their way to the hospital.

Not long after being taken into the delivery room, the labor pains were soon forgotten as Mary gave birth to a beautiful baby boy who would be named after his very proud father. After pacing up and down in the waiting room for what seemed like an eternity, the anxious father was summoned to the hospital room where his wife lay in bed resting, with a small bundle of joy by her side. As "dad" walked into the room, Mary said, "Come meet your new son. Here he is – ‘Little Johnny’."

Something is wrong

Months pass by, which normally would have been joyous times, but something was wrong. Dr. Jones told them that "Little Johnny’s" body was not developing normally, and there were other signs indicating that serious medical problems were forthcoming. Unfortunately, time served to prove that Dr. Jones’ diagnoses were all too accurate.

The pastor offers hope

But the pastor where John & Mary attend church offered them hope. They have always enjoyed their pastor’s reassuring messages of love, yet he has never spoken of John 14:6. There is no recollection of ever hearing him speak on Ephesians 2:8-9, either. His sermons were almost always about being a good person; about doing good things for others. Their pastor is a member of the local Masonic lodge. He proudly wears a Masonic ring, and boasts of the "fraternity’s" many good works. He often speaks highly of the accomplishments of the organization, particularly in the area of medicine – burn care units and crippled children’s hospitals. And now, he tells them there is hope; that his Masonic brothers can help them – can help "Little Johnny". "If it is at all possible", he reassures them, "’Little Johnny’ will be able to walk."

"Little Johnny" is taken to a Shriners’ crippled children’s facility. His major problem is that he lives in an afflicted body that cannot move from one place to another under its own power. But his various physical problems are soon dealt with, and the surgeries and treatments his body undergoes are successful in making the necessary corrections so that physically, he leaves the hospital with a beautifully functioning body that has been transformed by the "good works" performed on it. After months of therapy, not only can Johnny walk; Johnny can run!

He grows into a mature adult, feeling gratitude for the good works performed at that Shriners’ medical facility. He feels indebted, but not to God. It was God who guided the hands of the surgeons on that particular day many years ago - perhaps because of the prayers of Christian family members and their many prayer partners. Or perhaps the surgeon who operated on him that morning was a Christian employee of the hospital who had spent time in earnest prayer to God, prior to entering the operating room. But the indebtedness Johnny feels is to the Shriners.

Little Johnny’s feeling of gratefulness, directed to the Shriners is understandable. Besides, "Little Johnny" grew up in a church where the message was always about doing good things for one another – never hearing that it is through God that all things are possible. :

"And Jesus looking upon them, saith, ‘With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible’."

Mark 10:27

Johnny wants to be a Shriner

Now that Johnny is of "lawful age", he wants to become a part of the wonderful things the Shriners do for others. He wants to repay them by becoming a part of their efforts. So he becomes a Mason, trusting not only in the works done on his formerly frail body many years ago, but now, he is also trusting in the beautiful sounding things they are teaching him about life, and about his future life. They not only healed his body, but they are now showing him a way of life that is presented as being the formula for attaining to "that Celestial Lodge above." He trusted in their good works many years ago and his body was healed. Now, he feels that he can trust in their plan of salvation. After all, doesn’t the Apron Lecture teach that all Masons shall stand before the Judge Supreme of the Great White Throne; and that upon review of the deeds done while here in the body, they shall all be ushered into heaven? Isn’t his Masonic pastor’s message almost always on being a good person and doing good things for others, just like members of the lodge do? Doesn’t God want us to love our neighbors, just like members of the lodge do? Surely, if the plan of salvation offered by the lodge was flawed, Johnny could depend upon his pastor to point this out to the ritualists, couldn’t he?

Little Johnny has grown up now, and John has progressed through Masonry, moving on through life with the hope of a glorious immortality. He has hope that there is indeed a "Celestial Lodge above", where he will one day be received, because of "..the deeds done while here in the body." He hasn’t stopped with Blue Lodge degrees. He wants more. He wants to be a Shriner, so he goes into the Scottish Rite. Johnny goes through the additional 29 degrees in a fast and furious weekend, never being required to memorize anything, and only seeing half of the degrees he is given credit for.

The fact that the 19^th degree confers the priesthood of Jesus Christ upon the candidate – the Melchizedek priesthood held by Jesus Christ alone - goes right over his head. After all, that was one of the "communicated" degrees that was only briefly spoken of, and not enacted. Johnny doesn’t give the teachings of the Scottish Rite a lot of consideration: "There is nothing wrong with it, or else my pastor wouldn’t be a Scottish Rite Mason." At last comes the day when he is allowed to become a Shriner. To do so, he is required to swear a blood oath to Allah. Johnny’s pastor explains to him, "It’s okay, Allah is just another name for God. If there was something wrong with the Mystic Shrine, I wouldn’t have remained a member all these years." (Yet the truth of the matter is that Moslems – those who proclaim Allah as "the god of our fathers" - deny that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; they claim He is nothing more than a prophet. Allah has no son. Since Allah has no son, he cannot be the God of the Bible.)

Paul warned that it was impossible for a man to embrace Jesus Christ and remain ensnared in paganism. We are told in 1 Corinthians 10:20-21:

Again we ask, "Where is ‘Little Johnny’ now?"

Ex-Masons for Jesus